Lori thought she was pretty well set. She had her dream job at a high school teaching math and asst coach for the dance team. But she had that student loan to kill off. To get help with her student loans, she took an inner city HS position. She was in one of the most black cities in NY, over 50%. And, with that were higher than avg crime rates of all kinds. Her husband Cal had resisted at first but when she showed him the budget, he agreed to it. He also agreed to shift his job search focus to this area.
Vernon Hill HS had been built in the 40s and only the most important renovations had ever been done to the physical plant. Lori was given 3 remedial math classes for students who had 'failed' the semester earlier. This included a fair share of student athletes. The athletic director of the HS had given her a by name list of students he wanted moved up to passing grades so they could regain eligibility to play a variety of sports. Then she was given one advance placement math class, which would be her joy and she was most enthusiastic for.
The first dance team practice came up Wed after classes in the women's gym. The coach was an energetic black teacher, Gloria. Lori walked up in nice Lululemon yoga shorts and a college tee. Gloria had common gray sweats and her hair was up, all business.
"Glad you are joining us," Gloria started. "As I told you on the phone, we have some talented girls and you should just try to learn the routines for now."
"Cool" Lori responded, glad to fit in. The music was cranked and hip hop filled the air. Lori slid behind all the girls and watched them, imitating them for an hour. She was proud she was in such condition she could keep up, though she knew she had lot to learn.